Establish Values Of A Coin

I also look at online retail prices

ebay is a great place to feel out what people are actually paying for any given coin. Far more accurate than published prices.
IMHO

The values for key dates, XF-MS examples, and anything made prior to the Barber series is pretty well entrenched in the market. I agree that ebay is the best source for everything worth more than $5-10. Anything less than that, and the shipping cost will impact what people are willing to pay.

Also, it's worth noting that most silver coins in VF or worse (Barber and later) are only worth melt value, which of course fluctuates much faster than even the Greysheet can be published.

I generally use NumisMedia to find my prices.

If you want values for the more valuable stuff I would also look at auction results, like ebay and Heritage.

I use ebay sold and Heritage realized. On some coins with nice toning or strong eye appeal I will use the NGC or PCGS listed price as a not to exceede number.

It depends on what you are considering purchasing.

Though ebay is good for current prices if you are looking to buy TPG with PCGS ad NGC, it can be a good bit more difficult for non-TPG coins.

So it makes a huge difference as to a recommendation according to your want list and grade standards.

ebay, Heritage, and Great Collections probably take care of about 80% of the coins I purchase, with the other 20% being at shows.

I keep a running tab on my want list when the items on that want list sell. As an example, I've been looking for a 1936-S Walking Liberty half in MS-64. They sell much more frequently in MS-65, but the selling price between the 64 and the 65 exceeds 100%. So in this instance the a beautiful 64 makes better sense to me.

Looking at all of the different price guides that you mention gives me a range from $250 all the way up to about $450. That's a huge range for a single coin in a single grade. Right now there is one that will be closing on ebay today that is still under $200, but it has milk spots, which I just hate. I'd rather wait and pay more if need be for one I will love, rather than just tolerate.

So again, this example is just what a single coin might lead to as far as prices are concerned. I use all of the lists you used, but always take sold prices (and those that don't sell at a specific BIN or BO price) as the major factor.

So what do you think you will be looking for?

2-5 cents is the standard price for 1940-58 wheat cents in your typical circulated condition. Basically every LCS, flea market, and ebay lot sale confirms this. Likewise with 25 cents per Buffalo nickel (15 if dateless), $1 each for V nickels and IHCs.

Jefferson nickels are a bit more of an anomaly... most catalogs list them at $0.06 for non-keys, but they are much harder to find a buyer, even at 1 cent over face.

Thank you all. I turn coins quickly and try to buy MS-67 or higher coins of all series. The Greysheet often stops at MS-65 for their pricing.

Thanks for the suggestion to check out Numismedia and other suggestions.